«Quick!» shouted Teressa. «After them!»
«No!» Runa grabbed her arm as she was about to run across open ground. «There are guards everywhere. Let’s go back the way we came. If we hurry, we can catch them at the station in Rangua!»
When they reached the station some time later, however, the Lord’s private car was already at the platform and there was no sign of the True Human family. The two guards were there, furling the sails in leisurely fashion, but otherwise the station was deserted.
«They’ve gone into a house somewhere,” said Karina in despair. «How are we going to find them now? It’s no good asking the guards.»
«Maybe when the revolution comes, it’ll flush them out,” suggested Teressa. «According to father, we’ll sweep everything before us. We’ll roust everyone out and line them up, and kill them.» Teressa warmed to her theme. «Then we’ll take their places. We’ll be top cats. We’ll capture the Palace, kill the Lord, and live there with El Tigre as the new Lord. The guards will obey us and we’ll rule the Canton, and if anyone has the gall to step out of line, by Agni we’ll set the guards on him!»
Runa laughed. «I love you, Teressa.»
«We’ll try the inn,” said Karina decisively.
That moment, when the El Tigre grupo entered the Rangua inn in search of Captain Tonio and his family, for some reason caught the imagination of the later bards. It was a moment of some drama, although the couplet in the Song of Earth exaggerates a little. But then, few epics would be worth a damn without poetic licence.…
«She led the fearsome hunting girls into the house of sin,
And terror gripped the drunken soul of every man within.»
In point of fact there was little drunkenness, since it was only mid‑morning. And annoyance, rather than terror, was the emotion uppermost in the souls of the men. Specialists were not welcome in the house of sin that morning, with revolution in the air, and the Town Elders holding a meeting upstairs to discuss defensive measures.
Karina stood in the center of the floor eyeing the drinkers who sat around the walls. Teressa and Runa stood in the doorway to discourage anyone from leaving.
«We don’t want any trouble here, now,” said the innkeeper, pausing in the act of filling a pitcher with ale.
«Throw them out!» somebody called.
Karina spat briefly in that direction, then said, «Anyone seen Captain Tonio?»
There was a sullen silence.
«Maybe you didn’t hear me too well.» Karina took the pitcher from the innkeeper and threw its contents into the face of the nearest customer. «We’re looking for Captain Tonio and his family. They were last seen wearing black cloaks, headed this way.»
The customer, spluttering and dashing ale from his eyes, said, “ Idon’t know. Why pick on me?» He was elderly, and shaking with impotent rage. «He hasn’t been in here, that’s all I can tell you.»
Suddenly a voice said, «I think I know where he might be.»
«Pegman!» Now Karina saw the figure in the corner.
The Pegman rose, draining his mug. «Let’s go outside,” he said. «It wasn’t doing me any good in there, anyway.»
He followed the grupo into the street, blinking at the light. The sailway ran nearby and he sat on a running rail.
«Well?» asked Teressa impatiently.
But the Pegman was not to be hurried. He uttered a couple of strange cries while be collected his thoughts. Finally he said, «You remember a little while ago, Karina, we talked about … the Dedo.»
«That bitch! I’m going to get her!»
«She lives in the rain forest above Palhoa. Now, Captain Tonio once worked on that old sailcar track that ran from Palhoa up to Buique. It’s all wrecked, now. It’s a region nobody ever goes to — even the mountain people stay away — because of the Dedo, I think. Anyway, things are a bit strange around there and Tonio knows that. I think that was the real reason why the sailway track was abandoned — you could almost smell the strangeness. Tonic’s mentioned it to me more than once. It’s a perfect place to hide out — no people, plenty of food.… I think that’s where Tonic’s headed for.»
«You don’t think he’s in town here?»
«Not if he’s got any sense. This town will be a battlefield before long. The signalmen reported a big gathering down at South Stage — but I expect you know about that. No. I think Tonio caught the morning car to Palhoa.»
«But the cars aren’t running, Enri.»
«The Palhoa car is a square-rigger, remember? It doesn’t need felino help. It’ll be back later on today. All we have to do is ask the crew if three passengers in black cloaks travelled to Palhoa today. And if they did, we take the car tomorrow.»
«You’re coming?»
«Of course,” said Enriques de Jai’a, hoping that he would be able to prevent bloodshed, not expecting success, and wondering why all this seemed predestined as though the Ifalong had suddenly become inevitable.
«Was it worth all those years of disappointment, El Tigre?» Dozo asked his chief.
The meeting had been a rousing success. The hillside still resounded with the roars of acclamation. The felinos were pouring out of the community hut prepared to do battle now, this minute. Mules were being brought, and the few precious horses. Even the shrugleggers had drawn near, mouths hanging open in dull astonishment.
«A moment’s cheering?» El Tigre regarded the crowd, which was now being marshalled into three armies. «No.»
«Still not satisfied, El Tigre?» Manoso gave his sly grin. «Maybe when I’ll capture the delta for you, you’ll smile then.»
«No.» The chief felino stood for a moment in thought. «When we control the whole Canton and I’m satisfied that people — all people — are better off than they were; and when the Canton is running so well that we can start giving things back: the tumpfields to the tumpiers, the town to the True Humans, the delta to the cai‑men; and when I can see that everyone has his fair share, and no one race is setting itself up as chief; then maybe you’ll see me smile. But even then,” he added with a faint grin, «only if I’m happy.»
«I’m surprised to hear you considering giving the True Humans a share in anything,” said Diferir. «I mean, you, El Tigre.»
«My personal feelings have no place in the revolution.»
Dozo said, «It never occured to you that this racial segregation is the real cause of the problem?»
«No — that’s natural. It’s the very existence of races which causes trouble. Which takes me right back to a question I’ve asked myself many times. Was the great Mordecai — our creator — a saint or a devil?»
They followed the tail-end of the crowd outside, where the rain still fell steadily. Like the Pegman, El Tigre felt he was caught up in an inevitable flow of events. The revolution was not his doing; it had been brought about by a series of happenings culminating in the accident at Torres. He was a tool, and so was everyone else. Just for a moment, he allowed himself to wonder who was wielding that tool.…
They were watching him, waiting for a sign.
«Move out!» he shouted.
The revolution had started.
The felinos were divided into three fighting units, commanded by Dozo, Manoso and El Tigre himself.
Dozo headed west. His task was to take his army into the foothills to deal with the tumpiers and any True Humans who might be around. It was the easiest job of the three and little active opposition was expected although — and this was why El Tigre had chosen Dozo for the task — a considerable amount of diplomacy had to be used. The tumpiers had to be won over rather than conquered, to ensure the continuance of the food supply. They were proud people with their own culture and traditions and El Tigre did not want to antagonize them any more than necessary. In order to demonstrate good intentions, Dozo’s army consisted of good-natured bachelors. He had been given strict instructions that the Women’s Village was not to be entered.